The rate of a certain reaction depends on concentration according to the equation:
-\frac{dc}{dt} = \frac{K_1 C}{1 + K_2 C}
What will be the order of reaction when concentration C is very low?
Answer (1)
To determine the order of the reaction at very low concentrations for the given rate equation, we need to analyze the expression:
− d t d c = 1 + K 2 C K 1 C
When the concentration C is very low, the term K 2 C in the denominator becomes much smaller than 1. This simplifies the denominator:
1 + K 2 C ≈ 1
Substituting this back into the rate equation, we get:
− d t d c = 1 K 1 C = K 1 C
This is a first-order reaction with respect to C since the rate depends linearly on the concentration C . In general, when determining the order of a reaction, we examine how the rate is influenced by the concentration of the reactants.
In summary, at very low concentrations, the reaction behaves as a first-order reaction.
